Thursday, March 17, 2016

POTD: Qutub Minar

Today's photo-of-the-day is from India's Qutub Minar, the tallest brick minaret in the world. It stands 73 meters (240 feet) tall. It dates back to the 1190s, when its construction was commissioned by the founder of the Delhi Sultanate.

Except this photo is not of that minaret. This photo is of the base of the accompanying Alai Minar, which was intended to be twice the height of Qutub Minar. Construction was halted upon the death of the Sultan who commissioned it, when the Alai Minar was only 24.5 meters (80 feet) tall. That's how it has stood for over 600 years.

P.S. Faithful readers of The Wheel might remember an earlier mention of Qutub Minar, a stop on my Singapore-to-London travels in 1977. The only thing that has changed in the intervening years is that tourists can no longer climb the tower. :-(